District earns Purple Star, music education honors
by Melissa Martin
April 22 school board meeting
Brecksville-Broadview Heights Elementary School has been named a 2026 Purple Star School by the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce.
The Purple Star designation is awarded to a school that meets the criteria associated with the needs of military-connected students and families.
“Ohio’s military-connected youth need support that considers their unique wellness and academic needs, especially during transitions, activations and deployments,” said ODEW Director Stephen Dackin. “The Purple Star award signifies your school’s proven commitment to serving these students and families.”
The Purple Star designation is valid for three years and expires in April 2029. Dackin said the school will have the opportunity to review its designation in the fall of 2028.
School Board Member Lisa Galek also announced that, for the seventh consecutive year, the Brecksville-Broadview Heights City School District has been recognized as one of the “Best Communities for Music Education” by The NAMM Foundation.
This award, Galek said, reflects the district’s “exceptional support of and commitment to music education.”
The board thanked the district’s music educators at all grade levels who help students grow and showcase their musical abilities through a variety of performance opportunities. Members also expressed their appreciation to families, staff, community members and booster organizations who attend performances and volunteer in support of the district’s music education programs.
Curriculum adoption
The school board unanimously approved three pieces of legislation calling for three new curricula at the elementary and high school levels. The first is a science curriculum for kindergarten through fifth-grade, titled Bring Science Alive.
Other curricula were approved for the high school’s Spanish I, II and III classes, include Reporteros, as well as a new course of study for Advanced Placement world history classes titled Ways of the World.
Board Member Tish Kwiatkowski said the district allowed community members to review the new curriculum choices before the board’s approval.
Sustainability report
Student representatives of the BBHHS and BBHMS Safe Clubs presented details of this year’s sustainability programs at the high school and middle school levels.
Along with a weekly collection of paper, plastic and cardboard from classrooms, the students noted the creation and maintenance of a pollinator garden and the construction of bird feeders from recycled water bottles. The students also participate in annual river sweeps and maintain programs to recycle paper, pens, markers and glue bottles at all three schools.
In addition, students said they collected 2,150 pounds of used shoes and clothing to divert from waste streams and acquired a $15,000 grant from the Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District to purchase larger recycling bins for every classroom at the high school and larger bins for common areas of the high school, including the cafeteria, where the club aims to eliminate as much plastic and Styrofoam as possible.
Superintendent Jeff Harrison also noted that the Environmental Protection Agency of Ohio recently awarded the district a $10,000 grant that the schools used to purchase 14 new hand dryers for each restroom in all three schools, as well as a bottle-filling station for the district’s transportation office.